CAMBRIAN NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18016, 29 November 1926, Page 10

CAMBRIAN NOTES.

TURNSPITS. 111 the " good old days,” before the adY'ent of gas stoves and electricity, and even of kitchen ranges, meat was roasted before a roaring fire in an open grate. Ihe joint was turned round and round by hand, and carefully toasted as it hung on a hook. In large houses the turning was done by intelligent little dogs, trained to sit in a wheel and turn it = with their paws, in much the same way as prisoners work a treadmill. In the Hanbury Arms Hotel at Caerleon an old dog wheel is still to be seen, and there is another at Maesgwyn, in Carmarthenshire, and many in various parts of Wales. In Haberfordweth there are as many as eight. The dogs were called turnspits. In a book published in 1800 the writer describes this method of cooking at an inn at Newcastle, Carmarthen, but he evidently did not think the dogs enjoyed their “job,” for he tells us that tbc cook had to be very careful not to let the dogs see her bring the meat from the larder, or they would sneak off and hide for the day and the guests would have to be content with a stew instead of the good roast leg of mutton or round of beef they had expected. It was as great a catastrophe as it is to find the power “off” at the present day. No doubt it was a dull, monotonous task for the poor dog to stincl before a roaring fire turning the wheel, with the. delicious smelling meat within a few inches of his nose. Pitt, in his “ Art of Preaching,” alludes to an orator who meandered on and on instead of keeping to his subject, in the words:— “ His arguments in silly circles run, Still round and round, and end where they begun, So the poor turnspit as the wheel runs round, The more he gains the more he loses ground.” Dogs were also used on small farms for churning. A wheel in a slanting position outside the house was connected with the churn inside by means of a crank. Only in 1901 a.farmer was charged at the Carnarvon Petty Sessions with cruelty to animals for employing a dog in this way. Waterwheels, of course, are often worked by horses, donkeys and oxen, but in these days dogs are more often pets only, and not useful domestic animals. EBBWVALE. The recent disastrous floods near Newport remind us that it was in the Ebbw River that Henry 11. got rid of his sun freckles. He had arrived at Caerleon on his way to Ireland in 1171 when lorwerth ap Owen ruled over Gwent. Henry, however, did not like the look of lorwerth, who was really not at all a nice person, and so he deprived him of his lands and garrisoned his castle with his own men, and marched on. At that time the Welsh were deeply influenced by the prophecies of Merlin, and they watched the progress of the English King with much interest, for they had noticed his freckles and Merlin had foretold that “ When a freckled faced prince passes over the Rhvdd Pencarn the Welsh strength will be weakened.” Therefore a crowd of bards and chieftains assembled at the ford, where the King was expected to cross, and their pipers and trumpeters brayed a salute when they saw him on the opposite bank. His horse reared and, in spite of much spurring, refused to go into the water, so the King turned back and plunged into the Ebbw at Rhydd Pencarn, and so fulfilled the prophecy, and, according to an old writer, the water of the river removed his freckles.

Ebbwvale is now famous for its iron works, one of the first, furnaces having been built-there by one of the Hornfrays as far back as 1782. It .is a strange characteristics. of the Welsh nation that they for ever live in the past, dwelling on the glories of their race in remote ages, dreaming of the exploits of their heroic ancestors, treasuring their traditions and poems, without any ambition about the future, and so the riches and resources of their beautiful country have been left to be discovered and exploited by others—the Homfrays, the Guests, the Crawshays and the Baileys, whose descendants are the great iron kings of to-day, such as Lord Wimborne, Lord Tredegar, Lord Glenusk and others. The men who founded the great ironworks about Merthyr Tydvi! discovered that the district was like the place mentioned in the Bible “whose stones are iron.” They built furnaces and forges. People came from all parts, until what was once a shepherd’s hamlet was transformed into a va.st mining centre. The late Sir John Williams left almost his entire fortune £IOO,OOO, to the Welsh National Library. During his lifetime he was the executor of the library, as well as a great supporter of the Welsh University. WELSH COLONY IN PARIS. It is not generally known that a Welsh colony flourishes in Paris, and quite recently the members gave a concert at the Sorbonne, when the musical programme was entirely in Welsh, prefaced by an address in French by Professor Vendreyes. The hall was packed and many French notabilities were present. Professor Vendreyes, who is an excellent Welsh scholar, and is well known in scholastic circles in Wales, took for his subject “ The Bards and Poetry of Wales." He gave French translations of some of the works of Dafydd ap - Gwylym, Eifion Wyn, Ceiriog and others. Lord Ashbourne, who was vice-chairman, spoke in Welsh. Mr Joseph Jenkins, known in Paris as Joseph Glamorgan, and in Wales as lenorydd lawe, was also there. He was born in Swansea, but emigrated a boy to America, and has met with much success in France in opera and concerts, and he is now preparing for an operatic season in Madrid and San Sebastian. Mrs Gaynor Parry, the violinist, foremost in everything pertaining to Wales and the Welsh, was one of the party. Mr Ifor Williams played the piano. Miss Gvren Jones, a promising soprano, and Mrs Ifor Williams, contralto, took part in the programme, and Mr Gwynne Thomas sang Welsh folk songs. CARDIFF COMPOSER. Mr Thomas White, a labourer employed by the Great Western Railway Company, has composed a song, “ The Welsh Daffodil," copies of which have been graciously accepted and acknowledged by the King and the Prince of Wales. During the war, Mr White served in France as a sergeant in the Ro3’al Field Artillery. He has composed many other songs, which will be published later. WELSH CHURCHES IN CHICAGO. There are no fewer than three Welsh churches in Chicago, and at their recent gymanfaiganu, or choral festival, two of the items that went with a particular “ hwyl ” were Dr David Evans, of Cardiff’s, “ Buddugoliaeth Calfaria,” and Mr L. J. Roberts, of Ahcrayron’s, “ Bydd Canu yn v Neforccld,” both well known to Welshmen here.